1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a tooth whitening apparatus and a tooth whitening method.
2. Description of the Related Art
Apparatuses that whiten the surfaces of teeth (or “tooth surfaces”, below) by irradiating the tooth surfaces with light (such apparatuses are referred to as “tooth whitening apparatuses”, below) have been developed (see, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2005-46421).
A tooth whitening apparatus described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2005-46421 irradiates the entirety of the oral cavity with predetermined light using a member shaped like a mouthpiece. After a predetermined chemical is applied to user's tooth surface, for example, he/she puts a mouthpiece-shaped member of the tooth whitening apparatus in his/her mouth and starts light emission of the tooth whitening apparatus. The chemical is activated as a result of the light emission and whitens the tooth surface to a degree according to the light intensity. Such an existing technology facilitates whitening of a tooth surface.
In the meantime, the color of the tooth surface may vary between teeth or portions of a tooth. For example, in order to uniform the color of teeth as much as possible to improve the appearance of the teeth, a highly discolored portion could be more actively irradiated with light. In other words, for effective whitening of a tooth surface, irradiating tooth by tooth or portion by portion of a tooth with light at the intensity corresponding to the requirement for whitening of each tooth or portion (intensity of light that is emitted and time for which light is emitted) is desirable.
However, the above-described existing technology is not capable of adjusting the light intensity tooth by tooth or portion by portion of a tooth and thus is not capable of effectively whitening a tooth surface.